The Demons Within
by Lion Cub 101
Summary: It wasn't supposed to be this way. But the second defeat of Gaia and Kronos stirred something horrible deep within the depths of Tartarus. The worst fears of the gods are loose, anyone that encounters such loses their sanity and maybe more.
1. Chapter I

It was midwinter, Olympus was painted in white and bright lights.

It had been a total of one year or so since the defeat of Gaia and there was an Olympian meeting today. Hermes and Apollo discussed about the upcoming new year and what awaited them. Artemis and Athena were discussing the latest version of the new dagger Hephaestus had created. Hephaestus and Ares were fighting over Aphrodite of course. It was an unusual meeting.

However, Dionysus of all the gods, felt something was wrong. He scanned the the room but he found nothing out of place until he landed on Hera's throne. It was empty.

How strange, she was usually the first one here.

Dionysus' train of thought was disrupted by a flash of lightning. Zeus had entered the throne room and everyone ceased talk and went to their respective thrones.

The meeting has begun,"Is everyone here?"

Zeusdidn't seem to notice the empty throne beside his own, Demeter decided to point that out,"My lord, Hera is not present."

Zeus was taken aback. He turned to the throne questioningly as if Hera was merely playing a joke and was just invisible, he turned to the gods before him,"Does anyone know where she is?"

Theyall shook their head. At that point, there was a shriek.

It echoed through out all of Olympus and it was filled with sheer terror that hearth dimmed ominously attached the sound.

Poseidon turned to Zeus, his eyes filled with concern,"It sounded like Hera."

Zeus jumped at the thought,"Search for her! Check the mortal world if you must! We must find her!"

The gods exchanged looks and set off to search for Hera.

~oOo~

Herawas on her way to the meeting, she had had a long day. It was a long, dull day of work. And aside with her fight with Zeus and Athena and her being sick, it was not a good day. She had fallen asleep for some rest and woke up later than she expected. She'd gotten ready hastily, and as she ran to the throne room she was slipping on her shoes.

But as she put on her left shoe, she slipped on a mound of wet stone where some snow had melted and fell scraping her knee.

She looked down on it, in pain, a small trickle of ichor ran down it. _Great, just what I wanted_ , she thought.

Instinctively, she looked to her left. There was a small alley between her office temple and Demeter's own home. Office temple because she had her own temple where she lived in with Zeus, she used this one to work in. Hera looked back to her knee, it stung more than it should've, but then, she saw the tiniest dot of red mixed in with the golden blood.

Thenthere was more, and suddenly she had streams of red and golden blood leaking out. Maybe it was just her imagination but the cut on her leg seemed to be getting bigger. The larger it got, the more her knee burned, until the cut reached her calf. Now it was on fire.

Her eyes filled with tears but she didn't allow any to fall. She looked towards the grand temple where it's light seemed to offer some sort of sanctuary. She then heard a voice,"Hello, Hera."

She looked up and was filled with instant fear,"N-no."

She crawled backwards trying to get away but it followed her, now she was sweating her chocolate hair sticking to her face and with all her effort she stood and limped away. But wherever she went it blocked her path. When she'd open the door to her office out had swiped at her leaving a claw mark across her cheek.

In a desperate attempt to get away she ran towards the alley until she found a dead-end. She jumped and scratched at the wall until her fingers bled blood and ichor. A dark shadow blocked what little light she had. She turned around, her brown eyes filled with terror. She backed into a corner abs tried making herself as small as possible. It advanced on her and she kept repeating the same words, "No. No. Please! No!"

Finally the darkness overtook herand she let out a terrified and pained scream.

Andthat's where Apollo found her. In the corner of the alley, her leg in a horrid cut and her fair skin covered in sweat, blood, and grime. She hugged herself, trembling violently her eyes wide with fear. Apollo called out saying he found her and Dionysus had gotten there first.

When she looked at him with those big, brown eyes, he realized she wasn't only terrified, but the fright she had gotten was enough to have her lose sanity.


	2. Chapter II

Word had gotten around of the fallen queen very quickly. When the others had tried to help her she screeched and writhed as if they terrified her.

In the end, Ares, Artemis, Athena, Apollo, and Hercules had to carry her. It was inhumane but anywhere else she would've harmed herself, so they locked her in the dungeon of Hades' palace.

It was the only place, they were gods, why would they need an asylum? And for the gods that were severely punished, off to Tartarus you go!

But as they locked her in the cage she screamed and cried out. Finally, when they locked the door, she hissed at them like a cat, and she crawled away like one into the farthest corner away from the light.

Hades was nervous, this was supposed to be living in the same building he slept in,"Dionysus, you couldn't do anything?"

Dionysus stared at mental goddess with blank eyes, he turned to Hades,"Nothing. I can't cure her."

Hades lips thinned, he was actually considering sending Persephone back with Demeter.

Hera had become more aggressive in the Underworld, he wasn't going to risk Persephone. So when dinner came around he talked to her across the long table filled with goodies over the shrieks of Hera.

"I don't know how we're going to sleep tonight, Hades. She's louder than the minotaur. Is something wrong?" she asked him.

"Persephone, you know I love you. That's why I want to do this."

She rose a brow,"Do what?"

"I'm not comfortable having you around when a loony queen of the gods is in our basement. I think it's best you go back with your mother this year, until things get better,"he looked at her pleadingly.

She stared back in awe. She thought this would only happen when the world ended. Maybe this was it, no. She was queen of the Underworld, she would stay and help Hades,"I'm afraid, I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Right now, my place is beside you. So whether you like it or not, I'm staying," Persephone stated, the tone saying she made up her mind.

Hades knew how tenacious she could be and sighed in defeat,"Fine, but I want you to stay away from the dungeon."

Persephone frowned, but she sighed and agreed.

~oOo~

Annabeth and Percy were on their twenty fifth undisturbed date. Or so they thought.

They had gone to the movies to watch a popular new movie. Suddenly, they felt someone poke their shoulders. They turned to see Hermes.

Percy asked, confused but with an idea of what it could be,"Hermes? What are you doing here?"

In a quick voice he replied,"Sorry to interrupt, but we need you to see something."

"But-" Annabeth had started but Hermes cut her off.

"It's urgent, close your eyes."

"Hermes!"

"Not now!"

But it was too late. He'd started glowing and they closed their eyes, suddenly they were in a dark living room. Literally, the walls were obsidian, the furniture was black. In front of them were four familiar figures.

"Jason, Hazel, Frank, Piper. They brought you here too? "Percy asked.

They stared at him, it was an obvious answer.

" Any idea, why?" Annabeth finished.

"Do you know where we're at?" Percy added.

They shook their heads.

That's when Hades emerged from the hallway.

Immediately, they realized they were in his temple,"Do not be alarmed, there is something you must see."

They followed Hades into the dungeon. They'd heard the terrible shrieking but they thought it was from outside. But when they entered the cellar they realized it was from inside. Suddenly, the screams stopped. Hades became visibly nervous.

They stood in front of the last cell, they never thought they'd see Thalia and Nico here, but there they were. Staring unbelievingly inside the cell.

Hades turned on a flashlight,"She doesn't enjoy the light."

He turned the light towards the cell into a corner. There she was. She had curled up into a ball, the floor was scratched and so were the walls, you could hear her whispering to herself. Her head slowly looked up, the shock of who it was was enough to make the four take a step back.

Hera glared at them with large, crazed eyes. Her face had numerous scratches, they were all bleeding and her hair was a brown, matted friz.

She hissed at them and in a hoarse voice she scorned,"Take that light out of my face. NOW!"

They all jumped. Hades fumbled with the flashlight and turned it off. She disappeared into the darkness.

"What - what happened to her?" Annabeth asked unbelieving.

Instead of an answer he pushed them back. As he did Hera jumped at them only having to crash into the bars. Her fingers bled.

Thalia stared at her, mouth open,"He-Hera?"

A twisted grin grew on her face,"I like visitors. Do you want be my friend."

Her voice sounded lost and her eyes haunted Thalia. Gods, her eyes terrified her. Hera twitched and gave them a toothy smile.

Hades spoke up making them jump,"We found her this way. Dionysus can't cure her. We need your help trying to find out what did this."

Percy frowned,"Us? You want us to go look for something that makes gods go insane? Imagine what it can do to us!"

Before Hades could reply there was a scream at the front door and in came Ares and a few other gods carrying a squirming Athena.

"What are you doing to her!? Stop!" Annabeth yelled.

They put her in an empty cell and Ares looked back at them with a sad look in his eye,"We found her this way in her temple. This is why we need your help. We can't have anymore incidents like these."

Hera laughed with glee,"More visitors! YAY!"

The half bloods stared at each other. Finally they gave in.

As they left, Annabeth looked back towards her screaming mother and the smiling Hera. Something would happen on this new quest, she was sure she wouldn't like it at all.


	3. Chapter lll

As they began to leave the dungeon. All of hell was let loose. Hera's smile disappeared and tugged at the door. She looked back at the dark cell screeching. Athena screamed in fear scrambling onto the bed and hiding under the covers. The lights went out for a minute and Hera went wild when they came back on she was crying, collapsed on the floor shaking the door. Athena scratched at the wall. Then they did something that truly scared them all. They talked. Not the lost, mad voice Her had. But in a rational way that showed how upset they were.

"Please. Let me out. Please! Hades, brother! Protect me! LET ME OUT!" She screamed rattling the door and sobbing harder.

Athena wept softly collapsing to the ground and curling into a ball,"Ares. Ares. You coward! You broke your promise! Let me out! I can't! Please! ARES, HELP ME! PLEASE LET ME OUT!"

Suddenly, they heard a scream. It came from upstairs. Only Nico and Hades recognized it, Nico looked over at Hades and the latter had gone pale. He bolted out of the room and went upstairs, the rest, weapons ready followed.

No one noticed that the door to the dungeon was not the only door open.

They had made it upstairs and Hades ran into what seemed like a family room. Here he saw something that broke his heart. On the floor curled in a fetal position, holding her head, and crying was Persephone. Hades kneeled next to her and put his hand on her shoulder. She screeched in fright and lashed out. Hades, taken aback, let go of her. He touched the fresh cut on his cheek and looked at Persephone who scrambled away from them to furthest and darkest corner. Then they looked at her eyes. She was gone. Why? Well, Persephone had the same wild glint in her eye.

~oOo~

The demigods and Hades had somehow gotten the screaming Persephone into a cell. She slammed at the door in fright screaming strange words and finally she gave up on the door but started to slam onto the other walls.

They were panting. It wasn't easy carrying her. Next to Persephone's cell was Athena's who was reacting the same way.

"Can't we do anything!?" Annabeth exclaimed.

Hades shook his head staring into the cell that held his wife.

Thalia sighed unable to see this and turned to leave, but the cell across from Athena's, Hera's cell, caught her eye. It was quiet, but what worried her the most was the door was open.

Soon the rest noticed what she was looking at and turned to the cell. They all went pale and Percy muttered,"Oh no."

"But...but how did she-?" Annabeth stuttered.

"What matters is finding her right now!"Hades demanded.

They scrambled off in different directions but once they searched thrice in every single place it was evident that Hera was no longer in Hades' palace.


	4. Chapter IV

The moment Argus found out wasn't anything but wet. He cried so hard that the dining pavilion had to be set off limits so the harpies could help dry it. When Zeus found out there was the obvious anger and blasts of lightning at practically everything in Hades' living room. Demeter accompanied the shouts at figuring out exactly what happened to her daughter. But the moment Hestia appeared no one spoke. No one moved.

Hestia was relatively calm and peaceful, but she was so scarily quiet that it gave everyone unease. She descended into the dungeon filled with mad laughter and hysterical screams and she didn't come out until Persephone finished her knock knock joke about an interrupting cow.

She walked up to Hades,"Unless Charon has stopped following orders. There should be no way for her to cross the river."

Ares was the first to leave in search for her. Hestia sat on the couch melancholy and looked at the sofa across from her.

By the time Ares and the demigods came back from a fruitless search Hestia became a statue.

According to Demeter, she hadn't moved an inch since they left. She hadn't spoken a word to anyone.

Nico turned to look at Hestia, she didn't even look like she was breathing. He turned back to Demeter,"Why is she acting like this? Is it because of Hera's disappearance?"

Demeter shrugged,"I'm not sure...oh my Persephone. My sweet sweet Persephone."

Demeter sat in the sofa opposite to Hestia and sobbed into her hands.

Hades couldn't stand it. He just left. He walked outside and took in the vast, dark land. Je reached into his pocket and took out a very old cigar packet.

Way back when, when they were first invented, the only kind of sibling bonding the six of them would do was take a smoke together and talk. Maybr drink. That was until Persephone found out the kind of damage they did.

She begged them to stop and for the most part they did but every now and then when they wanted to roll off some stress one of the six would always bust out a cigarette and they'd have a relapse.

He sighed taking out a cigar and lighting it. He looked back out to the dark, cavernous land he learned to call home.

Home.

Even in her insanity Hera had registered Hades. Before Thalia and Nico arrived he checked on her and she talked to him in that horrible voice, but she called him brother.

She wasn't maddened enough to forget her family. And her family was home. The only other place she could be was the very place it started.

He put out the cigar and came back inside,"She's on Olympus. I don't know how but she's there. She has to be."

Demeter looked over at the half bloods. She nodded and blinked once at them and suddenly they felt like they were being sucked into a black hole and just as abruptly as it had started they landed on solid ground a little dizzy.

Percy covered his mouth,"Guh. I'm not sure how gods can stand that."

The others agreed as they looked toward the vast mountain. Exactly where would they even look?

Annabeth looked up at the statues that welcomed them through the gates of Olympus. Zeus and Hera both standing proudly arms outstretched with either a bolt or a lotus staff at hand. They seemed to real she almost thought Hephaestus had made them into automatons. But that was their answer.

"Let's start at her temple. If Zeus is there, that'll probably attract her." Annabeth stated as she began to walk up the mountain.

The others followed. None of them were sure how to feel about this. On the one hand it was terrifying. As mentioned before, a god going insane? Unheard of! But it was also satisfying, Hera had gotten what was coming to her eventually, torment. But did she deserve that? If it weren't for her, Gaia would've taken over and they wouldn't be standing where they are right now. What about Persephone? The most harm she's ever done is tied Will up and given him to Nico for Valentine's Day. And Athena? Annabeth still couldn't shake off the scream she let out calling for Ares.

They looked at all the gods that they passed and wondered, who could be next? Lovable Hestia or the fleet footed Hermes? Somber Thanatos or majestic Aphrodite?

Hell, _Zeus_ could very well end up in the loony. What if it wasn't a god that was next but a mortal? What could happen to a mortal if they suffered through the same kind of torment the three goddesses went.

There were too many questions that not even the gods knew the answer to.

By the time they made it to the top of Olympus they heard an all too familiar scream.

Hera ran from the throne room barefoot hissing at all the bright lights. She jumped over the steps leading to the throne room and transformed into a tiger mid air.

"Great to know she still knows how to use her powers,"Percy commented.

The tiger goddess roared and ran to her temple. She snarled at Ares who turned into a mountain lion and followed her and the two disappeared as they pounced onto the roof and ran out of sight.

 **~oOo~**

 **Sorry for such a late update and such a short chapter but I'm currently low on ideas. If ya'll got suggestions on what I can do next please tell me. Thank you for reading!**

 **~Lioncub 101**


	5. Chapter V

No one could find Ares or Hera after that and frankly, there wasn't any time to. Not too long after their disappearance Hypnos was affected. Without Ares there to help, the demigods had to help take the god of sleep back into the Underworld. As soon as they locked him up he began to slam himself against the bars. They stepped away from him, avoiding getting caught by his gaze because if it's one thing they knew it was that the gods still knew how to use their powers.

They didn't want to know how the god of sleep could affect them while mad. They all went back to Olympus to investigate a bit more.

"Where was it that you guys found her again?"Nico asked after 30 minutes of wondering where on Olympus to look next.

Apollo led the half-bloods to the alleyway.

Annabeth looked back to the opening of the alleyway,"It's pretty dark here but there is a bit of light. Was she freaking out about the lightbulb when you found her?"

Apollo shook his head,"Not really. She kind of just cornered herself into the, well, the corner. She managed to stay out of the bulb's rays somehow."

"But what was she doing here in the first place?" asked Percy. His hand grazed over the scratch marks left on the board, the marks Hera made when she tried to escape...something.

The half bloods were given the privilege to grow to the size of the gods or shrink to the size of humans so they'd be able to solve the mystery.

Apollo continued his account,"When I found her she kept mumbling something about the dark. Dionysus came along a little after but he couldn't do anything to heal her."

"But what made her like this?"

"All we know is, whatever it was had scared her. Enough to turn her the way she is."

Leo looked back at Apollo,"Alright then. What is she afraid of?"

They stayed quiet. What was the queen of the gods afraid of?

Hazel looked back at the scratch marks,"Have Deimos and Phobos turned yet?"

Apollo scratched his head,"Phobos is trying to figure out what's wrong with them, so he's in the Underworld. Deimos is on Olympus though. I'll call him."

After a minute of staring awkwardly at him because he just stood there staring back at them, the light flickered.

A feeling of dread overcame the demigods and by the look of it, Apollo too. He became paler and he trembled under the sudden pressure he realized he had on the situation.

Deimos finally appeared. He was a tall man with burly arms and legs. His hair was cut military style and he contained many scars on his face. He had beady little eyes that seemed to bring up the worst fears of the half-bloods.

Annabeth narrowed her eyes at the god. She was pretty sure they found their primary suspect.

Apollo spoke for the demigods, "Deimos, duuude. Long time no see, buddy!"

Deimos scowled at Apollo as he gave him a shoulder hug. He shoved Apollo off stating,"I'm not your buddy. Now what the hell do you want?"

Apollo explained the situation and Deimos scratched his shaved chin,"Well without Hera here I'm afraid I can't help. But I cou-"

"HELP ME!" cried a man.

Apollo paled recognizing the cry and was the first to be gone. Deimos teleported himself and the half-bloods to the location of the scream.

They were a second too late. Hermes lay on the ground writhing in pain. Apollo tried to help him but Hermes hissed at him and tried to scramble away but Apollo held onto him tightly.

"Hermes! Please! It's me! Apollo!" it broke the demigods' hearts to see Hermes like this. Even more with the way Apollo was trying to cradle him.

Anyone that knew their history knew that the two gods were best friends but only the closest friends and family knew that recently they had become much more than friends.

It took thirty minutes just to get Hermes out of the room. And it wasn't because the god was fighting back.

No, it was Apollo who refused to let go of the screaming god.

When they locked Hermes in the cell Apollo begged Hades to be let in with him. He made just as much a fuss as Athena in the cell next to him.

In the end, Artemis had to usher him away back onto Olympus. By then they knew that they couldn't ask the god for help for awhile.

Frank turned to the twin brothers, Phobos and Deimos,"We need a favor. We have to know what the affected gods are afraid of. That way we can help them."

He turned back to Hermes,"We should start with the most recent one."

It was unanimously agreed to help this god in particular. He helped a lot on many different quests of theirs. It was only right to help him.

Deimos and Phobos' eyes glowed a bright white and suddenly the eight half bloods were in a different place.

It was a green pasture and the sky above them was blue with a few passing clouds. A light and fresh breeze that smelled of flowers passed through. It was so serene. It was hard to believe that this was the mind of a mental god.

Thalia heard the hiss of a snake nearby and jumped. She turned in time to see a few blades of grass move toward a large Strawberry tree.

Lounging underneath the tree was a young man around 25 years old. He had pointed ears and curly blond hair. He wore a white, greek robe and sandals. His face was covered by a helmet he wore on his head. And the wings on both his sandals and helmet would flap every now and then.

Resting on the tree was a herald's staff.

As the half bloods came closer they came to realize the man was asleep.

Hazel kneeled and gently shook him awake. The man, startled, reaches for the staff and swung at the demigods. They let out a cry and stepped back. The staff glowed with a neon blue and the man's eyes were an icy kind of blue. The scowl on his face told them that the first one to move would be whacked.

But then his face flashed with recognition and he lowered the staff. His eyes warmed to a nice ocean blue and he gave them an impish smile.

"Hey, guys." the man's voice was high pitched.

He leaned back onto the tree. they stared at the man in confusement. Percy stepped forward,"Excuse me, sir. Have you seen Hermes?"

The man laughed at him but then he stopped,"Oh, you're serious."

Percy rose an eyebrow. The man sighed,"I understand. You don't recognize me."

They seemed taken aback,"Wait, Hermes?"

The man's hair changed to a salt and pepper color and his ears rounded out. His eyes turned a soft brown and he looked up at them with the same impish smile.

"Little bit insulted you didn't recognize me, but hey...what can I do?" he shrugged his voice turned recognizable again. The demigods exchanged looks. He looked way too healthy to be stuck in Hades' asylum.

Percy knelt before the god,"Hermes, we're here to help you."

"Mhm? Why is that?" he ate an apple like nothing was wrong.

"You're sick. You've gone insane. Mentally insane...I think. We need to know what it is you're afraid of."

"Uh huh. Want one?" he held out the bitten apple.

"What? No. Hermes, you need help. Tell us what your greatest fear is." Percy insisted.

Hermes examined his robe not paying attention to Percy's plea,"I should probably go dry clean this. What do you think? Too bloody?"

"What?" Percy looked down at his robe and he backed away in horror as the stain of red spread from Hermes' chest to the rest of his robe.

"Her-Hermes?"

He looked at his face. It seemed completely calm and he stared at Percy like he had just told him he was going to Disneyland.

Percy stepped back into the group behind him. If they had any doubts at all that Hermes was sick before. Now they didn't need to wonder.

It scared them. No ichor poured out. No golden liquid dripped from his robe. Blood. Dark, iron liquid seeped from his chest.

"Whatever this is. It doesn't just take their sanity. It's turning them mortal,"Annabeth said.

Suddenly Hermes stopped smiling and he stared at them with a face that spelled out danger. He paled visibly and tried to make himself smaller against the tree.

Again Percy tried to talk to him,"Hermes?"

"S-s-"

"W-what?"

"SNAKE!" he cried out in terror.

He pointed behind them his eyes icy blue from fright. A shadow suddenly loomed over the tree. It blocked out the sun.

The group turned to find a large python hissing at them. Its tongue was double-forked and it's eyes a bloody red. When it hissed it sounded like twenty snakes hissing at once. It held more than two fangs in its mouth and spikes reared up on its back like a cat when threatened. It snapped at the group and they jumped in different directions, out of the way.

It loomed over Hermes, it gave him a strange stare and Jason swore he saw it smile.

It bared its terrible fangs at Hermes and gave a deafening roar. Hermes screamed, tears ran down his face.

Percy stood unsheathing Riptide and ran straight at the python,"Get away from him!"

It turned to face Percy and he slashed open one sinus. It hissed in pain and finally directed its attention toward him. Percy ran down the hill and the python chased after it.

"Percy!" cried Annabeth. She looked back at Hermes and took her dagger out. She chased after the snake.

Frank turned into an eagle and flew after them. Hazel looked back and ran toward Hermes. He lay on his side his back to her. He rocked back and forth muttering to himself.

"Mer-Mercury?" Hazel got closer. She put a hand on his shoulder.

He trembled and he muttered,"Snakes...no...no...snakes...glitter...eh...mirrors...please...no...save...broken ones..."

"What?" the python hissed in indignantly.

Hazel looked back at the others. They had cut off the python's head using Frank's sharp claws. It began to smoke and shrink. It shimmered weirdly.

But then she realized it wasn't glimmering. It was writhing. Different scales in different directions. And suddenly one scale slithered away from the rest. They were snakes. They slithered away in different directions. Hermes screamed.

Hazel stood horrified. They all looked like the same replica of the original python except smaller. They bared their fangs and darted at their attackers.

They ambushed Percy and wrapped themselves around him. They squeezed around his limbs and Percy let off a strangled gasp. Annabeth tried to slice them off but one jumped onto her arm and strangled the dagger out of her arm. And then more snakes ambushed her.

Hazel looked in terror seeing her friends being cocooned by the snakes. She began to hyperventilate and her vision blurred.

She backed away from the scene and she stumbled on Hermes' body. As she fell into the grass she heard the hiss of snakes. She immediately stood and took her spatha out.

She trembled with fear her spatha shaking violently. Something slithered by her feet. She cried and swung at the grass.

Nothing.

The grass behind her moved. She slashed behind her.

Nothing.

She turned in a circle slowly making her way back to Hermes. At the foot of the hill she heard a hiss but she turned to late and it wrapped itself around her neck. She cried out in horror.

Frank had been picking snakes off of Piper when she'd heard Hazel scream. Piper gasped and pushed him off,"Go!"

Frank flew to her direction and found her behind the tree at the foot of the hill. Her lips were turning blue. He flew down at her and with a swish cut the snake in half. She wheezed for air and ran uphill to Hermes who was trying to scramble away from some snakes that had wandered uphill.

Hazel slashed though the snakes and they turned to dust. And then, Hermes let out an ear piercing scream.

It snapped the demigods out of the scene and back into Hades dungeon.

They were all sweating. They felt like they had woken up from a nightmare. They looked back at Hermes' cell. He cried in terror. The same ear piercing cry they heard in his mind and he slammed himself against the wall.

"APOLLO! APOLLO! PLEASE, MY LOVE! SAVE ME!" he cried.

The lights flickered and a cold breeze filled the room. Like a pack of wolves all the affected gods gave a howl of terror.

At this even Deimos and Phobos seemed taken aback by.

At the peak of the howls the lights went out.


	6. Chapter Vl

Hades ushered the group out of the dungeon. A few skeletal electrical engineers walked down to the dungeon to fix the lights.

Hades held the same solemn gaze he had when Persephone turned. He didn't say much to them. The only thing he had said to them was they could go back inside once the lights were fixed and he trudged back the still quiet Hestia and down the hall.

After an hour Deimos and Phobos led the half-bloods back down. They were still shaken up about what had happened in Hermes' mind. Especially Hazel.

Phobos looked inside Athena's cell. She was facing the corner. Talking to herself and laughing like she was holding up a conversation with the funniest person she'd ever met.

Phobos wasn't built up like his brother. He had a lanky frame and his eyes were sunken into his head. He looked like a reject for the military. His eyes held a kind of cowardice to them. Ready to run at the sign of any threat.

Annabeth looked inside the cell. Athena's back was to them. Her black hair was in tangles now and her white robe was now bloodied. The bed had been torn apart and the walls had large dents from the times Athena had abused herself.

Annabeth looked back at Percy. She needed to help her mother. It reminded her of when she was Minerva. How she seemed so lost and confused. But this time her well being was at stake.

Thalia hugged Annabeth from behind. She turned and hugged back.

"We'll help her," Thalia said.

The half-bloods stood in front of Athena's cell and once again Phobos and Deimos sent them on their way inside the goddess's mind.

They ended up in a vast room with a huge ceiling. All around them were bookshelves. They lined the walls. They towered high on tables and they were in piles on the floor. The room felt cold, naturally. Large windows shown in the sun's rays from outside and large purple drapes hung at their sides.

Despite the elegant look of the library, many different sized owls chased each other throughout the room knocking down bookcases and sending towers of books falling to the ground. A tiger and a bobcat battled behind one of the tables in the farthest corner of the room. Tiger lilies sprung up in random places of the room. Some of the more mischievous owls would drop olives from above and they'd land on sleeping tigers. The tigers would roar in anger causing the owls to shriek and circle the room like vultures overhead.

The current would cause pages amd many of the lightweight books to fly around.

Two grand staircases led to a second floor which held more books. In the center of the two staircases at the second floor was a woman with wavy black hair. It was pulled back into a ponytail and she wore a silver girdle and a white, greek robe. A book was within her hands and she mumbled to herself.

She seemed oblivious to the chaos happening around her.

The demigods made it to the second floor as quickly as possible avoiding the cats as best as they could.

Annabeth walked nearer to the goddess. Her grey eyes seemed panicked,"Can't read...Can't read...what use is wisdom without knowledge...can't read...ophiophobia...anxiety...lygophobia or nyctophobia?...monophobia...what does that mean?...Who are you? What might I be?...Stare at the sun. 1 means 3. At the helm of insanity...you're too far gone. Now you're just losin' your mind...the broken ones...the broken ones..."

"Mother?"

Athena threw the book across the room out of frustration and screamed. Annabeth jumped.

Athena began to sweat and she lashed out on the books on the walls,"We're doomed! We're doomed! We're doomed! What use is wisdom without the knowledge!? We're doomed! Years of always being right! Being the foothold! Why am I the one responsible for keeping the peace always!? Here I am without a clue! Not even knowing the color blue! Oh woe to me. He let me be. Now I'm stuck in endless insanity."

Annabeth stared at her mother's concerned face. Her grey eyes had the same lost look to them. She continued to cry about how lost they were. How doomed they were. So many things were happening in Athena's mind it was hard to believe it was hers at all. Until Hazel caught a certain phrase Athena had cried,"The broken ones! The broken ones! I can't see! I can't see! We turn weak! Find the key!"

"The broken ones? That's exactly what Hermes said,"Hazel stated.

Annabeth held onto Athena's shoulders. The latter screeched and tried to wriggle out of her grasp.

"Athena! We're trying to save you! What do you know about the broken ones?"

"Broken! Broken! Token! Spoken! The ocean!... Porcelain. Course and boardin'. Left and right. Wrong from right. Up and down. Turn around. See it through. Peek-a-boo."

"Mother!"

Athena laughed. It was the same laugh Hera made when they first saw her and it scared Annabeth.

She looked back at the library. All the books that were littered. She bent over and picked one up. She opened it.

The words were fading. As she turned the pages she could see the letters fading. Half the book was blank.

What good is wisdom without knowledge.

She closed the book and read the cover. Wars and How to Prevent Them by Athena

She picked another one up. They were all books based on Athena's experiences. Wars, parties, conflicts, and family issues. The knowledge she collected over the years and all the words were fading.

She looked up to Athena and showed her a page from a book deacribing her rivalry with Ares,"Athena, where is the chink in Ares' armor?"

"Chink?"

"Yes, the chink."

Athena stared at the book blankly and began to hyperventilate,"No no. Rain, go away. Never come back, please delay."

Annabeth looked back down at the book. The words were fading again. She looked back up. Athena searched frantically in different books but all the ones she picked up were blank.

At one point one of the books turned to dust.

They all looked on as the dust blew in the air. Athena looked on as if someone had killed her favorote pet. Her eyes filled with tears and she turned to Annabeth.

"The broken ones. Find the key. Find the key! Don't leave me be!"

She advanced on Annabeth dangerously and the latter backed away from her.

"Save me! Save me! One two three! I can't be free! The killing spree! Mortals! Mortals! Beware! Face your fears if you dare!" she cried.

The cats roared. The owls screeched. The flowers wilted. The room dimmed.

"Lost knowledge! Lost knowledge! Crumbling college! Save me! Save me! Set me free!"

She took out a dagger and swung at the demigods.

Annabeth saw it in her eyes. She no longer recognized them. Whatever was happening she was losing her memory of them.

Annabeth stepped back. How did they go back last time?

Athena cornered them. Behind her stalked the tigers. They licked their maws hungrily.

Suddenly Annabeth remembered. You pinch yourself to make sure if something is real or just a dream. That's why the gods abused themselves so much. To keep themselves planted in the real world.

She looked at the knife in Athena's hand she didn't want to do it. But it was the only way.

She ran straight at her and tackled Athena to the ground. They wrestled with the knife and rolled over in the litter of pages.

Annabeth finally had the upperhand. She aimed the knife over Athena's heart and pushed down. Athena screamed trying to push her away.

"Annabeth!" Percy cried.

She looked up. A tiger pounced on Annabeth but she jumped off Athena. The goddess pulled out the bloody and just managed to slice her chest and Annabeth cried out in pain.

However the tiger landed on Athena. It roared and bit down on her stomach.

She let out a bone chilling scream and suddenly the half bloods were in the dungeon again.

Annabeth panted. She held onto her chest where the knife wound was supposed to be but as she checked herself she realized nothing was there.

She looked back up at her mother who screamed and screamed. She had balled her hand into a fist and kept hitting her own stomach.

Annabeth hid her face in her hands. She shook her head and began to cry with her mother.


	7. Chapter VII

Annabeth sat in Hades' living room. She had a blanket wrapped around her and a cup of hot chocolate Hazel made for her. She trembled violently, her eyes bloodshot, Percy looked at her from the corner of the hall worriedly.

"When is Apollo getting here?" he asked. "We've been waiting for him for nearly an hour."

Hades talked on the phone with who Percy assumed to be Apollo. Hades turned,"He says there's traffic on Charon's ferry. It might take him an extra forty minutes to get here."

Piper walked into the hall after adjusting Annabeth's blanket,"Couldn't he had just materialized here or something?"

"The Underworld is the only place gods can't materialize to. If they want to get in they need permission from Hades first and they got to make the trip manually like mortals,"Nico replied.

Percy looked over at Annabeth again. He could see her muttering to herself, she jumped at every noise. This was exactly what Percy was afraid of happening. He looked back at Hades a dark glint in his eye,"I told you we wouldn't help because we didn't know what this could do to us. And now Annabeth is sitting on your couch not even being able to tell her reality from her imagination. I told you we weren't going to help and now my girlfriend is losing her mind in your home!"

"Percy."

He turned sharply back toward Annabeth. She stood waveringly, her grey eyes reminding him of Athena, and trembling as if she were cold. She held the mug of chocolate in her hands,"I think, we should check Persephone next."

Percy stared at her surprised and then shook his head,"No. I'm drawing the line here."

"But-"

"No! We go into the mind of another god and you might lose yours, Annabeth! I'm not about to let you get away from me! Not again!"

"And what? We let more gods go crazy? We let the world go to waste? We've done stupid, dangerous things before, Percy! I've taken a poisoned dagger for you, trusted a cyclops because you trusted him, carried the sky, walked through Tartarus, I've faced Arachne! I've seen so many people die, Percy! It's a miracle I haven't lost my mind yet! I went crazy trying to find you when Hera took you. You say I'm losing my mind? I lost it a long time ago. The only thing that keeps planted to the Earth is the thought of seeing the sun rise every morning. Seeing the fireworks at camp every fourth. Knowing that my mother does care about me and she's been looking out for me. Knowing that someday, you and I will have a life together." Annabeth looked him in the eye. He looked away.

Finally he turned back to Hades,"The moment I see one of us is at stake, I'm calling this quest off."

They descended back into the dungeon.

Annabeth looked back at the living room. She could see Arachne standing in the corner, a sickening smile on her face. She beckoned Annabeth toward her.

Annabeth gasped and rubbed her eyes. She looked back into the corner and saw only a nightstand with a photo frame of Demeter and Persephone hugging.

Annabeth gulped and followed after them.

 **~oOo~**

 **Short and sweet because I had a lack of ideas for the moment. Let's hope next chapter is loner.**

 **-LionCub 101**


	8. Chapter VIII

Nico held onto the barred door looking in at the goddess it held.

Persephone stared blankly at a wall. She kept walking into it like she expected to pass through it.

"Are you ready to go demigods?" Phobos asked.

They didn't reply. They didn't want to face another Athena.

Nico turned around and nodded,"Let's go."

Phobos and Deimos glowed and their eyes shone a bright white once more. The half-bloods found themselves on a green field once more. In the distance they saw a cabin. It was simple but it was two stories high. As they became closer they began to see the grass begin to wilt and at the base of the cabin they saw the wood was beginning to rot.

Nico looked up at the door. It had a symbol of Hades on it and hanging just above the symbol was a sickle used for wheat.

Nico stepped onto the porch and held a hand against the wall. He pushed it open slowly and they saw a living room inside. The hearth burned warmly and it almost seemed welcoming.

As they stepped inside they could see picture frames hanging on the walls and standing on the nightstands and coffee tables around the living room. To their right was a stair case leading up to the next floor. Across the room were two doors. One they saw led to the kitchen while the other had its door closed. Everywhere, they saw, where vases with a variety of different flowers all in full bloom.

"This place is so nice. Are you sure we're in the right place?" Piper said.

Nico nodded,"She told me once that sometimes she wished she and her mother and Hades, if they weren't gods, she'd want to live in a place like this."

"Maybe she's just...scared." offered Jason.

Annabeth shook her head,"No. She is affected. Outside. Remember the grass. It was wilting. Her mind is deteriorating."

"Should we get into groups? That way we can explore more of the house." Percy suggested.

The others looked at him like he was insane,"I know. I know. Horror movie situation. But it's not like we're going off alone to the basement. We split into two groups. One explores upstairs and the other this floor."

Jason nods,"Piper, Nico, and Thalia will go with me. We can check upstairs."

Annabeth nods,"Then the rest of us will stay down here."

The two groups separated each going their ways.

Hazel walked into the kitchen. It was definitely a lot more welcoming int the living room.

The kitchen glowed with an ominous blue light. They'd hear the buzz of electricity but a thorough search had them realize there weren't any electric lights in the kitchen. It was all gas lamps.

Percy stepped through a doorframe that led to a dining room. A wooden table was in the center and a vase stood with a wilted narcissus.

Hazel followed after. She looked around the room. This one was just dark. Every step they took the floor creaked underneath them.

Annabeth tried to light a candle from table against the wall but it just burned out as quickly as it was lit.

Frank walked over to a closed door on the side. He tried to open it but it locked from the other side.

"Wasn't there another door in the living room?" he said.

Hazel began to walk back to the living room. They tried the other one but it wouldn't budge.

Percy looked over at an iron hook used for mending the water. He pointed at it,"Hazel, go get that rod over there."

When she brought it back Percy wedged it between the door and the frame. Frank and Percy pushed on the rod while Annabeth and Hazel tried prying the door open.

After several minutes Annabeth stopped she suddenly realized something.

"Annie? What is it?" Percy asked.

She had them pull out the rod and and she held onto the knob. She pushed open the door.

"It was a push. Not pull."

The four blushed and went inside.

~o0o~

The other four upstairs weren't having any luck. There were four different rooms upstairs. One was the master bedroom. It was lined with cobwebs like someone hadn't been inside for years. Another room looked like it belonged to someone but the paint had begun to peel off and spiders crawled over almost every surface area they could find. It had a window overlooking an overgrown garden. Another looked like a nursery. It too was dusty and it looked like ot was falling apart. The last seemed to be a guest room. It was the size of a small kitchen. Two maybe three people could fit inside. The walls painted grey with no other windows or doors. The only furniture in the room was a solitary and rusty hospital bed in the center of the room. It was bright inside the room but when they looked around there weren't any actual lights to keep it lit.

They couldn't find any candles, lanterns or lightbulbs. It was just lit.

"Who do you think sleeps in this room. It can't be Persephone." Thalia stated.

Jason shrugged,"You never know. Not everything is what it seems to be in a god's mind."

Nico stepped inside the room. Before he was even fully inside the door slammed in on him, locking him inside.

"Hey! That's not funny!" he tried opening the door but it wouldn't budge. He could hear the others on the other side of the door trying to open the door.

He knew they started to ramming furniture against it to bust it open. He looked behind him.

The room seemed to be getting larger. He began to hyperventilate. He curled up into a ball. He could feel himself running out of air.

He remembered being trapped in the jar a few years ago. When the twin giants had trapped him. He'd been afraid ever since.

Tears began to sting his eyes and then he heard a voice.

It was female. It came from a corner of the room. Hush. Hush. Do not worry. You are not alone anymore, in that corner a dark mass began to take form. You have company. I will be your company. I need your company.

Nico cried in fear as its eyes formed. They created two small electric blue orbs and it began to hover toward him.

Nico tried to crawl away from the mass but the room was too small. It followed him. He began to cry.

Tears flowed his cheeks as it got too close for comfort. Not that being trapped in the same room with it was comforting but still.

It began to shrink until it's eyes were level with his own. A hair strand away and he could feel how cold the thing was.

Nico, it whispered to him.

"Oh gods," he cried as he felt a cold hand on his leg.


	9. Chapter IX

Nico cried out in horror as it crept closer to his face. The cold hand on his leg held a steel grip. It's two orbs looked into his own eyes.

 _ **Don't worry. You aren't alone anymore. I'm here for you. And you're here for me**_ , it held up a black mass which faded into a pale hand.

It caressed his cheek, shivers ran down his spine.

"Please, go away. I don't want to be here," he sobbed.

The door slammed open breaking in two as a dresser smashed through it. Jason scrambled through the door sword ready,"Nico!"

The mass disappeared immediately. Jason ran toward the corner where Nico was huddled. He hugged him tightly as Nico sobbed into his shoulder.

Jason looked around the room. What was that thing? Was it the source of the gods' insanity?

He couldn't think about it now, he had to get his friend out of here. He helped Nico out of the room and back to the hallway where Piper and Thalia waited.

 **~o0o~**

Annabeth led the way inside the room. It was pitch black. They couldn't see their own hands in front of their faces. She and her group ran their hands along the walls searching for a switch.

Finally Hazel brushed her hand against a lever. She pulled it. There was a metal clanking and the group fell straight through the floor.

Percy had an unpleasant memory regarding his fall down to Tartarus. He looked around but the chasm they had fallen into was too dark. He couldn't see anyone but he could hear his friends screaming.

Suddenly he felt his back hit a wall and he began to slide down a ramp. He heard a splash before he himself landed in water.

He resurfaced. The water was bitterly cold. As he looked around he could see his friends resurfacing.

"Everyone okay?"

They all nodded. Frank pointed behind Percy,"Look. There's land."

Percy turned to see a rocky shore. The group swam to the edge of the water and hauled themselves up the boulders.

Annabeth wiped her forehead and looked around the chasm they had fallen into. It was a vast chasm with stalactites hanging from the ceiling and shimmering with a strange glow as if it had been bombarded in glitter.

"Where are we?" she asked. Hazel shrugged,"I don't know. But I'm getting a bad feeling about this place. It reeks of death."

Frank looked at the far end of the chasm. A faint blue light glowed. It was the only reason they could see at all,"Death huh? Well, let's not keep it waiting."

No one said anything but they all knew to follow the light. It was the only lead they had on how to get out.

As they walked down the tunnel they could hear a faint cry. The brighter the light became the louder the sob was getting.

Finally they found the exit.

They were outside at the mouth of a cave. The blue light was being emitted by the moon. A vast plain spread out before them a gentle breeze passed through making the demigods shiver from the cold.

The crying they heard had stopped abruptly the moment they left the cave.

"Where are we? Where's the lodge?" Annabeth said.

They looked around. They couldn't find the cabin anywhere in sight. But in the distance they could see two strange mounds underneath the silhouette of a tree.

"Let's head over there. Maybe we'll get more of a view and find the lodge," Percy suggested.

They nodded and the group began to walk toward the mounds.

Hazel shivered again as they walked through the plain. The grass was waist high. She couldn't see her own feet as they walked through.

She became tense as they continued to walk. Her breath hitching everytime she heard something strange. She swore she heard the hiss of a snake by her feet but there was nothing there except her feet.

Finally they made it to the mounds. The tree stood on top of a hill. It was hunched over like it was wilting with the branches hanging low. Upon further inspection they realized they were memorials. They were in the shape of a prism with Greek letters inscribed on the side. One of the prisms was wrapped in vines and the sprouts had begun to bloom. The other seemed lonely and somber a black rose at it's base.

Annabeth kneeled in front of the prisms and read the inscriptions. She became pale and turned away from them.

"Annie? What is it? What's wrong?" Percy asked.

"What do they say?" Frank added.

Annabeth turned to face them. She looked back at the prisms,"They're memorials...for Hades and Demeter."

"What? What do you mean?" Hazel asked, she already had an idea but it couldn't be true. They had seen Hades not too long ago.

Annabeth knelt before the prism again and read the one with the rose,"In memorial of Lord Hades.

King of the Underworld, god of riches.

Beloved Father, Brother, and Husband who faded honorably in battle."

"F-faded!?" Percy shrieked.

Annabeth read over Demeter's prism,"In memorial of Lady Demeter.

Goddess of agriculture. Beloved mother and sister who faded honorably on the call of duty."

Hazel shook her head,"No. No. That...that isn't possible. They couldn't have..faded."

Once again they heard a faint sob. The four half bloods scrambled up the tree and looked down at the two stones below. Shuffling up the hill they saw a young woman her face covered by her hands.

Along her arms were scratches, most bleeding while others were beginning to close. Her dark hair was dry and she wore a white dress smudged with mud and blood.

As she came closer they could hear her cries intensify.

 _ **I am not worthy! I deserve to be alone! Oh I am not worthy!**_ The woman's voice seemed to echo and it was shrill with a somber tone to it.

The woman collapsed to her knees and hugged the prisms. They finally caught a glimpse of her face. Bloody scratches lined her cheeks and her pale face seemed to glow in the blue moonlight.

 _ **I am to blame! I have nowhere to go! I have no home! No company! I shall die bitterly and alone! Woe to the broken ones! Woe to their key!**_ She tilted her head back so it was facing the sky. The half bloods tensed. They found her. They found Persephone. But she didn't see them. She couldn't.

She had no eyes.

Where her electric blue eyes would have been were two empty sockets. The streams of blood pouring down made it seem like she was crying blood.

The half bloods looked on in horror as Persephone began to tremble and hyperventilate.

She cried to the heavens, _ **Alone! Alone! I am alone! No home to return to! No being to embrace! I have killed myself by losing everything! Woe to the broken ones! Woe to their key! Take me! Take me! I need company! I need your company! Take me from this torment! I don't wish to be alone!**_

Annabeth held back her nausea as she was entranced by the gaping holes in Persephone's face. She finally managed to look away and tell the others,"Monophobia. She-she probably has monophobia. The fear of being alone."

Persephone cried out once again. She let out a scream. A shrill scream that hurt the ears of the demigods.

 _ **Oh broken ones! Take me! I cannot be alone! Take me with you! I shall embrace you as my own! Please!**_

"There it is again. The broken ones. Maybe she means the gods?" Percy suggested.

The others didn't respond. Persephone had stopped shrieking. She still faced the demigods and she had stopped her crying.

Suddenly, she began to smile and then laugh.

 _ **But I am not alone. Not anymore. For now I have company. I have**_ _ **yours**_ _ **.**_

Persephone turned into a cloud of black smoke and drifted upwards towards the demigods. Two electric orbs appeared where her face would be and she tackled Hazel off the tree.

Hazel screamed in terror as the black mass tightened around her. It's cold made Hazel tremble violently. The darkness surrounded her.

 _ **Oh, Hazel. My Hazel. Your brother wished to leave me alone. I can't be alone. I need your company. I intend to keep your company.**_

Hazel screamed in terror as Persephone's face appeared once more. She still had no eyes but a pinpoint, blue light glowed in the back of her sockets. She gave Hazel a cold and numbing embrace, Never again. You shall be alone no more!

Hazel tried to push Persephone away but her hands simply slipped through the woman's body. Hazel could feel herself slowly fading.

Her vision was blurring and her body was becoming weaker. Persephone's touch was slowly killing her.

"No! Let me go! I don't wish for your company! I don't want to be your company! Let go of me!" Hazel cried.

Suddenly she saw a hand appear in the cloud of darkness she was trapped in. Hazel held out her hand and took it. She was pulled up and out of the suffocating darkness and into Frank's arms.

Persephone screeched in misery, _**Why!? Why do you wish to leave me alone! Please don't leave me alone! I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT YOU!**_

The mass solidified back into Persephone's body. She sobbed into her hands once more.

Annabeth wanted to leave. She couldn't stand seeing the goddess in such a state. So she took out her dagger and slowly made her way to the goddess.

Before she could stab the goddess on her shoulder Persephone's icy grip held onto her wrist.

 **Oh no. You shall not leave this place. You shall not leave me alone.**

Annabeth tried to pull her hand away but Persephone's hand only held on tighter until Annabeth heard a nasty pop from her wrist.

She screamed in pain and Percy rushed to her aid,"Let her go!"

What happened next was a blur.

They all saw Percy run at Persephone with Riptide in his hands.

Annabeth could see the blade connect with Persephone's neck. As soon as it made contact all 8 half bloods appeared back in the dungeon.

Persephone lay on the floor gurgling and trembling violently like she was having some kind of stroke.

Hades and Apollo rushed into the cell. Hades cradled Persephone in his arms crying,"No no. Please Seph. Please stay with me. Apollo hurry!"

It was strange for Percy's group to see Hades. Then they realized, Persephone had made it up in her mind. She thought she was left alone, no one was left to take care of her in her mind.

Annabeth held onto her wrist. She looked down at it to see a bruise in the shape of a hand where Persephone had gripped onto it. She paled at the sight but she was also relieved to see that it wasn't broken.

Hades cried out as he cradled Persephone's head once her stroke had passed. In a broken voice he said,"It's okay. It's okay. I'm here. My love, I'm here."

They all jumped as Artemis was dragged into the dungeon by Zeus and Poseidon. She had a nasty gash under her cheek and she growled and gnashed her teeth like a frightened animal. Her braid was undone and her clothes were shreds.

Apollo looked on at his sister refusing to believe the truth,"Arty?"

Thalia looked on as she watched her patron get shoved into a cell next to Hermes.


	10. Chapter X

Once again the half bloods found themselves in Hades living room. Nico trembled violently tear stains on his cheeks. Hazel sat next to him setting some water in front of him. Percy looked back at Hades,"Well? What do we do now? Do we continue and lose your son or do we stop and you have to deal with your own responsibilities now?"

Annabeth gently pulled Percy away from Hades. The god didn't react to his statement he simply stared at Nico with a strange expression.

"Percy, we can't back out now. We're too deep into this. We need to go into Artemis or Hypnos next."

"No," Percy shook his head. "No. I'm drawing the line in the sand. No. N-O. No. Death is one thing. You die but you don't suffer. Others grieve but move on. Insanity is something else. You suffer. Others suffer. No one moves on and then everything turns to pity and to crap. Annabeth, you guys are family. I'm not about to risk you guys because the gods couldn't handle themselves again."

"Then what will we do if the next god affected is Zeus, your father, or Hades? Percy, what if the next god to turn is Thanatos? We can't back out now. We have to keep pushing."

Before Percy could answer Morpheus and Hercules came into the palace with a third god in between. A paper bag was placed over his head. He kicked and scratched, crying out.

Once again they admitted the god locking him in Hera's old cell.

Piper looked at the god, she found it saddening that this god had been bagged, why was he being treated differently? Before she could ask he ripped off the bag and tore it to shreds. And then turned to the half bloods his black wings unfolding menacingly. The gods instinctively stood in front of the demigods shielding them from the god's deadly gaze.

"Who is that?" Piper asked.

"Thanatos," replied Morpheus, his own wings outstretched to cover the godlings.

Annabeth and Percy exchanged looks. He gave her a defeated look. As always, she won.

Hades began shuffling away from death pushing the half bloods gently forward,"I think what you have done for us today is enough, thank you godlings."

He said this as they passed Persephone's cell. She was crying in the corner her face covered with her hands. Four of the half bloods shivered remembering _that_ encounter. And then Percy gave in completely. If that was Annabeth in there, he never would've stopped until finding a cure but then again he didn't want to reach that point in the story either.

He looked up at Hades who gave his wife a mournful look as he ushered the demigods upstairs.

Once out of Thanatos' range the half bloods assembled around the coffee table in Hades' living room.

"So is that it? After risking our well-being a good amount of times we just leave?" Piper asked.

"No. We can't just leave. This... _disease_. It can spread to the mortal world. We need to keep pushing through,"Hazel said.

Nico swallowed the rising bile in his throat,"Y-yeah. Persephone wasn't doing very well and if this thing really does take their immortality and its not just a trick of the mind then Hera is probably going to die soon. And when that happens-"

"Olympus falls," Jason recalled Chiron telling him once that Hera was the glue that kept the Olympians together. They had to find Hera but first they needed to get some clues. "Who do we check next? Goddess of the hunt? God of sleep? Or god of death?"

Annabeth tapped her chin,"I think we should go with the safest option."

"We? No. You and Nico are staying here. You two aren't taking our trip very well." Percy countered.

They all agreed.

Nico glared at them,"Are you kidding me? We all started this 'adventure' together. So you're telling me that me risking my life just to shadow travel a stupid statue across the world didn't bother you as much as me crying? Come on guys. Anyone of you would've panicked if you felt some black demon like phantom touch your thigh. We're going end of discussion."

No one retorted. They were to busy watching his hand inching to his sword. They agreed not to argue with Nico for awhile. They head back down to the dungeon.

Annabeth wavered in the back with Nico. He gave her a nervous smile,"So, what are _you_ seeing?"

"Arachne mostly. But everytime I look at Percy or at any of them, I just get this feeling of dread...like..like they've passed on or something."

Nico nodded,"I feel suffocated. I see Bianca everywhere. She seems disappointed. And the twin giants.." he shuddered. Annabeth held his hand,"Hey, I know what you're going through. We'll be alright. We just have to know what's real and what isn't."

"Easier said than done," Nico sighed.

 **~o0o~**

This time the half bloods landed in a poppy field looking up at a night sky. The stars shimmered above them while the moon shed its silver light upon them. Their eyes began to droop.

Percy gasped,"Guys, stand..up...pop-pies...Hypnos..."

Nico and Annabeth were the only ones able to stand up. When they looked at their friends they were all snoring away.

Nico and Annabeth exchanged looks,"Good thing the lunatics came along, right?" Annabeth yawned. They looked up and saw a glittering cave.

"We need to hurry. I don't know why it's taking longer for the pollen to affect us, but it will eventually. I'm guessing the cave is where we'll find Hypnos," Annabeth mumbled.

Nico grunted in response and the two shuffled over to the cave. As they made their way there their eyes began to shift. Everywhere they turned they saw something. When Annabeth blinked she saw a cyclops looming over the cave in the distance with a wound in its foot and when she rubbed her eyes and looked back at her friends Thalia was a pine tree again and everyone around her was dead. Nico kept his eyes on the prize but out the corner of his eye he could just see the apparition of his sister, Bianca and his late mother. He would close his eyes and take deep breaths and when he opened them he saw a jar awaiting inside the cave with two large hands placed around it. One of the mammoth's hand beckoned him forward pouring in some pomegranate seeds. He heard a deep rumble as the two giants laughed.

The two demigods inched together shaking. They kept shuffling forward until at last they reached the cave. They peeked inside, it shimmered like a geode and they were hypnotized by it.

Annabeth called out to the god and her voice echoed,"Lord Hypnos? Are you in here?"

"Maybe we should come back later," Nico said.

They walked inside admiring the beautiful cave, wandering around they found a literal bed of flowers. It was made of poppies but the rosy flowers looked different. Annabeth bent over to pick one but dropped it immediately after touching it.

"They've got thorns. Needle like thorns."

Nico looked around,"Imma laugh if Hypnos' greatest fear is insomnia or an uncomfortable bed."

"Honestly, considering that the other gods' fears are a play over their personalities I wouldn't be surprised."

"Morpheus? Is that you?" they heard the rumble of a deep voice.

Nico's breath quickened, he had a momentary image flash across his eyes of Otis looming over him with that sickening smile of his. Suddenly the cave didn't seem as fantastic to him anymore. The walls began to move he gripped onto Annabeth's forearm causing it to bruise.

"Ow. Nico, you're hurting me." Annabeth cried out.

He only held on tighter. "Nico? Nico! Whatever it is it isn't real! You're okay!"

Her voice sounded far away, soon the beating of his heart was all he could hear. He looked around the cave panicked. The walls shifted some closing in and others moving out. Ephialtes made his way to him clutching him in his grasps he taunted him,"Nico Nico Nico! Scared?" He bellowed with laughter.

Annabeth couldn't shake him out of his stupor. His breathing was ragged and his eyes were wild they looked so similar to Athena's. She had gripped onto his shoulders and shook him. The only thing that came to mind was slapping him and she did.

He gasped holding onto her arms clenching his teeth. He looked around. He was still in Hypnos' cave. The walls were solid and there were no giants holding him. Only his friend, Annabeth who stared on at him in worry.

"Nico, I lost you there for a second. Are you okay?"

He didn't respond. He calmed his breathing and let out a shaky sigh. Then he nodded.

"Morpheus?" the voice was closer. Nico held onto Annabeth's arm. He felt how icy her skin was, he couldn't help himself. He remembered the mist like form of Persephone and trembled at the thought of what would've happened if Jason hadn't gotten into the room on time.

Annabeth swallowed the lump in her throat as she remembered the voice of Atlas taunt her friends. She had been so convinced Percy would die when he challenged the titan. Her anxiety got worst when he held the sky right after.

Finally the god stood before them. His wings were folded behind him. He looked down on them with half open eyes. He had glittering golden hair and glittering pale skin that almost seemed a light shade of purple. He reminded Nico of those vampires he saw in that one movie that sparkled like diamonds in the sun. _The Twilight Zone_ he thinks it was called.

"You aren't my son," he replied. His voice was lighter not exactly shrill but it wasn't deep either. It was modulated but a bit honeyed. He looked at them with saddened eyes. "Who are you?"

"Lord Hypnos, we're friends of..Hades. My father. We are here to help."

Hypnos tilted his head at them slightly his silver eyes glimmering at them brightly,"Will you help me sleep? You see. It's been days since I've last slept. I think I've caught a case of insomnia but it feels as if I constantly dream. Whenever I leave this solemn grave a bolt from Zeus's master weapon strikes me. But the longer I stay here the more nightmarish this former home becomes. So tell me. Are you two human?"

Annabeth nodded,"Yes. My name is Annabeth Chase, the daughter of Athena and this is my friend, Nico Di Angelo."

"The son of Hades. Yes, I remember you. Your father and step mother, my king and queen. They speak highly of you. I never thought I'd finally have the privilege to meet the young Prince of Hades."

Hypnos bowed to Nico and the latter blushed,"You don't have to do...Hypnos, the gods are going mad. In order to help you we have to know what it is you're most afraid of."

"What I'm most afraid of? Well, gods are all afraid of death. You might want to question Thanatos, my brother."

Annabeth rubbed her chin,"No, sir. You see. He's gone...insane as well. And we've been talking with the other affected gods as well and they've all had fears that played on their personalities."

" _All_ of them? Who are the ones that have been turned?"

He sat down on stone chair that formed from the cave's floor. He crossed his legs staring intently at them. They found it a bit disconcerting that Hypnos spoke with them so rationally. They didn't doubt he was sick. After all, Hermes responded almost the same way. But Hypnos seemed fully aware that they were real. Or maybe not. He might actually think that they weren't real. Maybe he thought he was speaking to himself. How did they know he was real? What if _they_ were the ones talking to _themselves_?

They decided to roll with it. Whether he was real or just a figment of their deteriorating imaginations they'd figure it out soon enough.

"Who are the gods that have been affected?" he questioned.

"It's a total of seven gods. Hera, Athena, Persephone, er-you, Hermes, Artemis, and Thanatos. In that order,"Annabeth replied.

"You say that our crazed condition is caused by our fears. That's easy enough. Have you spoken with the sons of Ares, Phobos and Deimos?"

"We have but they needed to have the affected gods in front of them so they could-" Annabeth stopped herself. It was a perfect excuse for Hera, but what about the _other_ gods. How could she have been so stupid? She and Nico exchanged looks. They both had the same realization. They didn't even have to be here. They could've just had the gods of fear and terror themselves tell them what each god was afraid of.

Hypnos nodded,"I see. Well, I'm afraid the fears of the gods isn't exactly a play on our personalities. More like, our background."

"Back- ground?" Annabeth asked.

Hypnos nodded,"Persephone's is an easy example. She's a close friend of mine. The only person she ever had in her life was her mother. She doesn't have many friends on Olympus. It was just her and her mother against the world. Then came Hades. He swept her off her feet, literally and figuratively. She always knew that when Hades wasn't there for her her mother would be or the other way around. She's afraid of being left alone. Without a home. No one else left to love her and support her and keep her company. It almost happened, she and her mother had an argument and she practically pushed Hades to side with Demeter. She thought she had killed her only stripe of happiness in the world."

Nico kicked a rock as he reviewed the analogy,"So what the gods have are sort of like subconscious fears, right?"

"In a way, my brother Thanatos is afraid of killing everything around him. You see, Eros struck his heart with a swift arrow. He fell in love with someone he could not touch. Thanatos is like your grim reaper. Whatever he touches dies. He could only admire his love from afar. And if he let himself be seen the grief he let off would've killed them.  
"One day however there had been an attack on the city. Thanatos had been trying to save them. He had no choice but to reveal himself. He had warned them not too look back at him but they must follow whatever he told them in order for them to survive. They almost made it out. If it hadn't been for the wall. A wall was built around the city and his instinct got the better of him.  
"He tried saving them but when he touched their shoulder they crumpled into his embrace. He's been afraid of causing the world's end since. That's why he prefers to fly wherever he goes. He believes that the earth would die if his feet ever touched ground."

Annabeth thought for a moment, past experiences. People don't get cold for no reason. But some thing didn't make sense. Hermes was afraid of snakes and yet he has two snakes on his herald's staff. If Athena was afraid of losing her identity why did Ares have a part in this? And Hera, her obsession with the dark was strange. Why would anyone be afraid of light? Did Hestia know anything. She hadn't moved from her spot upstairs since she came.

"What about you Hypnos? What's yours?"

Hypnos looked at the ceiling for awhile,"I've never been rather fond of the nightmares my son, Morpheus would create. They hold a certain truth in them and they can taunt you and your dreams."

"That..doesn't help at all."

"Well, I'm not sure. The lack of sleep must be getting to me. Anyway, I simply must find the key or I'll never get to leave." he began to fade.

"The key? The key! Hypnos wait! What key! What is that!?" Annabeth realized she gripped onto his wrist and the god faded back into a solid form.

"Hypnos what do you mean by key?" she looked him in the eye. For a moment he seemed surprise but then his pupils dilated and he trembled,"L-Lord Zeus, I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I-I-I was merely doing my job-"

A bright flash of light flashed through the room and the loud sound of thunder and someone screaming rang through their ears.

The half bloods sat up from the dungeon's floor panting heavily. They felt like they had woken up from a dream. Annabeth looked at her friends all startled awake by the same thunder she and Nico heard. Nico looked over at Hypnos who cowered away from Zeus he stared at him.

Nico rushed over to Zeus and stepped in front of the cell,"Lord Zeus, I advise you to step away. He's scared. He could do himself harm."

Zeus was taken aback by the boy's sudden rush but he stepped out of Hypnos' sight. The god immediately calmed down and crawled over to Nico like a dog. He panted and whined,"How long must I stay here? I want to go play!"

Nico looked down at the god and then over to the other immortals. They all looked at him like children and when he looked over to Thanatos he saw Bianca in his eyes. Silena Bearguard. Charles Beckendorf. Little Nancy from the Venus cabin.

His heart broke and he collapsed into darkness.


	11. Chapter XI

Hazel sat on a chair next to Nico's bed. She held tightly onto his hand. He was breathing relatively normally but he was just so motionless that if she wasn't seeing the rise and fall of his chest she would've thought he was dead. She sighed rubbing her eyes. Will was on his way, she had initially debated against the thought of telling him but he was...a doctor? The reasoning in why Will should've come to the rescue was still blurred to her. But if he could help Nico in any way then it was worth a try.

She slumped down on the chair staring at the ceiling. What mess did they bury themselves into now? Her friends went on ahead to explore the mind of Artemis. After all, if she killed them they'd end up with Thanatos. And they were already in the Underworld so it'd be like nothing happened! Hazel scoffed at the idea.

She still had nightmares about the night she and her mother died. Death wasn't as simplistic as her friends thought of it. Standing in front of the judges who determined the weight of her life based on small details scared her. She realized how important and yet terrifying being given this second chance was. If it hadn't been for Hazel. Her mother would've wound up in the fields of punishment due to one misjudgment of character.

She shook her mind out of that memory and looked back at Nico. He looked paler. She was worried Thanatos had killed him. Condemned him or in the least doomed him to suffer the same insanity he had. She scoot a bit closer to him, holding his hand. She couldn't help but think of every bad thing that could be happening to Nico, logical or not. So far she could only have faith that he was okay. Everything would be alright.

She let her breathing fall into the rhythm of the tick tock the clock let echo in the room.

 **~o0o~**

The half bloods walked through a forest. The trees stood tall and menacingly, not a single leaf or itch of greenery was around them. The branches were thick enough however to block out any source of light. They could hear the crunch of twigs and dead branches underneath their feet but at one point they began to wonder if they were actually stepping on dead wood and not something more anatomical.

Thalia kept her eyes peeled. She was used to wandering around places like this. She remembered getting lost in the Amazon forest once with her hunters and this was basically what the jungle looked like if it had been depraved of all its life and nature. But even the stillness of the woods was starting to get to her. Out the corner of her eyes she could see shadows moving along the trees, stalking them.

When she turned her head to look for them nothing was there. But as they continued walking ahead she could feel someone watching her back. It became such a strong feeling she notched an arrow to her bow and trailed in front of the group leading the way.

Finally they made it to a clearing. There were no trees and they could see the dark sky littered with stars but the moon wasn't there. They sat down in the middle of it for a quick stop and looked out at the forest surrounding them in different directions. Splitting up was so out of the option but how would they ever find Artemis in this sea of trees?

Thalia played with the arrow's head. She kept looking at the tree's branches hoping to see some kind of wildlife but everything they encountered so far was grey and dead. She didn't even know where to start otherwise she'd been able to track down the goddess with ease.

Piper let out a shaky breath. It was starting to get cold. She hugged her arms as the air around them steadily got icier and icier. "Thalia, do you recognize this place at all?" her breath came out as a fog.

Thalia looked around. Despite her analogy to the Amazon forest it actually didn't ring a bell. She shook her head. She didn't know where they were at all. She stood up and looked around. She spotted a mountain just behind them. That was _some_ kind of landmark maybe if they went to it they'd get a better view of the forest.

"Let's head to that mountain. There's probably a cave up there and as hunters we prefer setting up in caves when we're on mountains. They can help shield you from avalanches and the wind..sometimes. Maybe Artemis is camping out up there and if not we'll have a bird's eye view of the woods."

They picked themselves up and began making their way to the mountain. But the closer and closer they got the more the trees around them began to shift and the feeling of being watched intensified. Soon they reached a part of the forest where the ground was just rock solid. Annabeth inspected it and she scratched the surface with her nail.

"This is igneous rock."

"And that is?" Percy asked.

She gave a frustrated sigh looking back at her friends,"There are two kinds of igneous rocks: extrusive and intrusive. Extrusive igneous rocks are created when pyroclastic materials cool above Earth's exterior."

Percy returned the frustrated sigh,"English please?"

She rolled her eyes,"That is English, Seaweed Brain. Igneous rock is volcanic rock."

Thalia looked up at the mountain,"Meaning that this is a volcano."

Annabeth stood up staring up at the volcano,"Yeah but which one?"

Thalia looked at the trees and she went over to study one. It had a few hanging leaves on its branches. Dried up maybe but they were still there. Thalia climbed up it hopping from the tree next to it to the one she wanted to climb up by using the tree's trunk. Finally, she landed in the crown and crawled over to the branch holding the leaves. She reached out for one and picked it off. It was flat and attached to it was a fruit. When she split open the fruit she dropped it. It was rotting and the smell reached her nostrils immediately after splitting it open making her gag. But she managed to see that it held seeds inside.

She slid down the tree's trunk like it was a fireman's pole and faced the group,"These are Broad-leaved trees. They're pretty common in British Columbia."

Frank shook his head,"I've been to that province. Mount Baker has snow that covers it entirely while this one just has it capped off on the top. Besides this one is actually a bit more cone shaped while Mount Baker is part of the Rocky Mountains, I think."

Thalia looked up, there were less branches here. She could see the sky was beginning to lighten up. She turned toward the volcano and the sky turned into a beautiful red and orange as the sun rose from behind it.

That meant they were facing east. It was a very nice sight actually. It looked like the sun was coming up from inside the mountain. Jason admired it a bit more when the realization of where they could be hit him like a pile of bricks. The sun rising up from behind the mountain almost looked like it was coming out of the mountain, the volcanic rock, the broad-leaved trees. They were in Japan inside the infamous Suicide Forest. They were in the 'Land of the Rising Sun.' But why would _Artemis_ , the goddess of the _moon_ , be on an island naming itself after the _sun_?

"This is Japan. We're looking at Mount Fuji," he said.

Thalia nodded,"That makes sense. She and Apollo would hang around here sometimes because it was their way for looking out for each other."

Percy scratched his head,"But wasn't Apollo infatuated with Japan because they named themselves after him?"

"Well yes. But by naming themselves after the sun they also have to take on the title the 'Land of the Rising Moon' this is where the twin archers always start their path when they travel around the world with the moon and sun."

Piper nodded,"That's great and all but how does this help us find Artemis?"

"We keep going up. There's always something at the summit,"Frank said.

And with that they hiked up the volcano.

 **~o0o~**

Hazel ran through the darkened hallways in Hades' palace. She was slowly beginning to run out of breath but she kept her pace. Behind her lightbulbs would pop and crackle as a dark mass flew past them making the halls darker than black.

She cursed when she saw the end of the hallway up ahead with a door. She slammed right into it and fiddled with the doorknob her lungs burning and her mind frantic.

She cried out when she jiggled the door and it just wouldn't budge. Looking behind her she could see the darkness creeping closer and she could hear the infernal hiss of snakes accompanying it.

She could hear the beating of her heart in her ears she thought she was gonna have a heart attack. Finally the door opened and she fell inside the room. She immediately scrambled to her feet and slammed the door shut. She locked it and pushed a dresser in front of it. Whatever was on the other side hit it with a thump. She back away from the door and looked around the room. There was a window behind her and she rushed to it. She managed sliding it open but when she tried to squeeze through she realized she was too big for the window. She sucked in her belly she did her best to try to make herself as small as possible but she just couldn't fit through.

She pushed herself out of the tight space and landed back on the floor. The scraping of the dresser across the floor caught her attention. It was starting to make its way inside but the door was wide enough for something else to slither in.

Hazel's voice got caught in her throat. She stood up backing herself into a corner. She was trapped. There wasn't an opening anywhere else.

Finally the dresser flew across the room smashing into the wall and the door slammed open. The dark fog crept into the room and the sounds of hissing drowned out the beating of her own heart. She squeaked as she felt something slide past her ankle and by the time her legs were enveloped with the reptiles she realized she was crying.

Her knees wanted to buckle her whole body trembled. She wanted to run but her body wouldn't comply it stayed frozen in place. She looked up at the mass and she saw the two blue electric orbs that were Persephone's eyes. It enveloped her in an embrace and once again Hazel felt her life slowly being drained away while Persephone's haunting voice echoed in her ear.

 _ **Company. At long last.**_

Hazel let out a cry for help but all she heard was the familiar croak of a raven as a reply.

 _"The last night. Tonight."_

The room began to shake and she saw one of the walls begin to crack. But what made her heart stop was the sound of a support beam giving in.

She finally let out a scream as the room caved in on her.

 _ **~0~**_

Hazel gasped for air as she sat up in the chair. She looked around the room. It was just the way it was before. Nico looked slightly better. He had more color to his skin now and the only thing heard in the room was the ticking of the clock.


	12. Chapter XII

The group hiked up the volcano looking down at the forest below every now and then. When they finally reached the summit they collapsed. They had a beautiful view. Everywhere they looked it was just a sea of green, that was until Piper decided to look behind them.

Fire.

She stood up observing the fire. It was a ways away but it traveled quickly burning everything in its path,"Uh guys. You wouldn't think she'd be in that, right?"

They all turned, finally noticing the distant fire. Thalia looked on with a bit of worry, "She never liked wildfires. I never thought she would be afraid of them."

"We should check. Make sure she isn't there and help her escape if she is," Frank quivered.

They nodded in agreement. Frank turned into a large dragon and all, except Jason and Piper hopped on, and they flew toward the fire.

It didn't take long to reach. It spread so quickly one could assume Hermes was behind this. They flew over the flames for awhile searching for any kind of life. But all they saw was fire.

Piper wished Leo was still alive to help. They would've been able to drop him in and have him search with Festus on the ground. She knew Jason was thinking the same. Every now and then she'd notice him look at one of the flames longingly.

Finally, they heard a cry.

They flew in closer to find a young woman running through the sea of fire. Every now and then she'd panic and get herself turned around so she ended up running deeper into the blaze.

"Lady Artemis! It's me! Thalia!"

The young woman only shrieked in response as fire began to entrap her. Soon it covered their only point of view they had of her.

"We've gotta hurry. Jason! Piper! Try squeezing through those trees and use your charm speak to calm her down!" Annabeth ordered, pointing at a small opening of trees, which was barely large enough for a drone to go through, not too far from where they hovered.

The two flew down toward the branches as Frank flew away looking for another way in. Piper held onto Jason tighter as the heat licked their skin all around them.

They landed on the ground searching for the goddess frantically. Smoke filled their lungs and burned their eyes. They squinted through tears and sweat, holding onto each other's hand, calling for her.

They ran around, avoiding the burning sea to the best of their ability. They were thirsty in a couple of minutes. They were sticky with sweat. The flames had crawled overhead blocking any opening within the leaves trapping them in.

Piper couldn't understand how the kids in the forge back at camp could work in temperatures similar to these. Heck, she didn't know how Leo could light himself ablaze. Could he even feel the heat?

 ** _!_**

Jason and Piper jumped out of the way of a falling branch; they landed near a bonfire like shrub and quickly picked themselves up as its heat roared at them, backing them into a cul-de-sac of bushes.

Jason grabbed Piper's wrist and dragged her through one of the hedges before the fire trapped them in completely.

They fell through the other side of the wall of shrubbery with a new burning sensation of freshly made cuts and reopened scars. On this side of the wall, however, they found Artemis screeching at the fire like a wild animal.

"Artemis!" Piper cried. The goddess turned to them with wide eyes,"Stay back! You fiends! You did this, didn't you!?"

"No! Lady Artemis, my name is Jason Grace! My sister, Thalia Grace, she's your lieutenant! We've come to help you!" Jason held a hand out to her. She hissed shrinking away.

"Go burn!" She shrieked. The fire around them roared in response letting a tree fall over as a final statement. "My lady, please! We can help you get to safety but you must cooperate!" Piper chimed.

For a moment the goddess stared in a daze, nodding in agreement, but then she shrieked scrambling away from them,"N-no! You mean to hunt me! You've used the fire as a distraction! You've used it to make it easier to hunt me! I will not be hunted! I am not prey! I am predator! **_! ! !_** " In a swift movement she took out her bow and shot two arrows at them.

Piper let out a squeak and the two dropped to the ground, the arrow nicking the top of Jason's hair while Piper's braid was snagged with the other arrow and embedded itself in a tree.

She pulled at her braid but the arrow wouldn't let go of her,"Jason!"

A gust of wind blew and the flames jumped onto the leaves Piper was caught under and began to crawl it's way down the tree's trunk toward her. Artemis aimed a third arrow at Jason her misty eyes reflecting the heat of the conflagration blazing around them.

Jason looked at Piper, at the fire, at Artemis. He ran to Piper dodging a second arrow Artemis shot at him. He took out his sword and brought down the blade on her hair she fell backward as she was cut free.

Jason turned to Artemis, dropping his sword. Piper picked herself back up, she kept a nervous eye on the approaching fire that was closing in on them. "We promise, we won't hurt you."

She pulled back another set of arrows threateningly,"Hogwash, you lying swines."

They heard a roar overhead and the sound of branches snapping, Artemis dropped her weapons. She screeched in terror bucking around like a wild bull. Frank landed over them flapping his wings blowing out any nearby flames.

Thalia, Percy, and Annabeth jumped off, grabbed Artemis, and dragged her back onto Frank. Jason and Piper led the way out of the inferno.

 **~o0o~**

Will sat in the front seat of the car next to Argus. He shuffled through some medications in the suitcase he was bringing with him to the Underworld. He kept opening and closing it checking that everything he needed was still there.

He noticed the eye on the back of Argus's hand gave him a quizzical stare. He sighed,"I'm scared of leaving something vital behind while I'm trying to help Nico. I can't afford leaving anything behind right now."

Argus nodded in understanding. They drove on in silence for awhile toward Central Park. Will turned up the volume to the radio to help calm his nerves but he didn't really appreciate the genius of Wiz Khalifa's "See You Again" especially not with the thought of Nico on the brink of death.

He searched a station for an uplifting song when he was suddenly thrown forward against the dashboard.

"Ow, Argus?" He whined as he sat up rubbing his temple. Argus stared forward at the street in shock. Will looked in the direction where Argus was gaping at and he couldn't help but let his jaw drop.

Hera lurched along the middle of the street cowering at everything around her. At one point, one of the cars honked and she let out a cry attacking the source of the noise. Argus and Will were stupefied. They stared on as Hera attacked the car's hood.

"Oh my gods," was the only thing Will managed to say. He and Argus exchanged several glances and simultaneously stepped out of the car toward the goddess.

They each grabbed one of her arms as tightly as they could, Argus having to wrap an arm around her waist. Will apologized for the damage done to the car, and they dragged a rabid Hera back to the van. Will sighed,"At least we gotta head the same way."

Argus nodded with a grunt as they strapped Hera to the backseat in twenty different ways and continued on to Central Park.

 **~o0o~**

Thalia and Jason set down the shrieking goddess on the forest floor. She scrambled away from them, climbing up the nearest tree.

Thalia looked over at her brother,"Was she liked this when you found her?"

"Nope. She tried to kill me and Piper and she was talking in some pretty coherent sentences, so no. She was a maniac but not a complete lunatic," he quipped.

Thalia approached the goddess very slowly her hands up in the air,"M'lady? It's me, Thalia. We've come to help you."

The latter hissed camouflaging into the leaves. "M'lady, you're sick. Everything around you right now isn't real. It's your own mind playing tricks on you."

The goddess let out a growl, she ducked her head out of sight,"You're the one who's sick, you eco terrorists."

Annabeth gave out a frustrated sigh,"We're never going to get any information from her."

"Yes we will. We just have to be patient. Lady Artemis, please. We are here to help," Thalia pleaded.

Artemis hissed once more,"Why should I believe you!? The last band of 'heroes' that stopped by hunted me down! They burnt down half my forest trying to catch me! How do I know you're not with them!"

"Because I'm your lieutenant! Lady Artemis, don't you recognize me?" Thalia gave Artemis a glassy look. The latter turned up her nose.

"I know exactly who you are, Niobe." She took out her bow once more. Jason stepped back, hadn't she dropped it? And aimed an arrow at Thalia,"Still haven't learned your lesson, have you? Insufferable mortal, I shall end you for causing me such distress."

Annabeth stepped in front of Thalia protectively,"No! Artemis, remember me? I'm the one you saved from the sky's burden! I'm Annabeth Chase! We are here to help you! From what I can tell you have pyrophobia and what I assume to be a form of claustrophobia."

Frank stepped forward,"I have pyrophobia as well. I can help you with that. Maybe I haven't exactly gotten over my fear of fire but it doesn't inhibit my ability to work either."

Artemis held her head high shooting them nasty looks.

"Liars! The lot of you!"

She let out a scream dropping out of the branch. The three rushed forward catching the goddess before she hit the ground. An arrow stuck out from her back staining her chiton into red color.

"Set her on her stomach gently!" Thalia ordered. They did just that. Artemis writhed trying to stand but the demigods held her down.

"I knew it! You mean to kill me! Liars! Scum! All of you! Damn you all! Damn you!"

Thalia looked up just in time to see an arrow lodge itself in Percy's arm.

He let out a cry and Annabeth pulled him down to the ground. As they fell Thalia heard the slightest hiss of a spark. When she turned a tree burst into flames. Artemis screamed in horror bucking wildly.

Thalia cried,"Artemis! M'lady, please!"

She felt a sharp pain in her chest and her vision blurred.

"THALIA!" Annabeth cried.

Thalia looked down at her chest. A silver arrow protruded from there. She opened her mouth to say something. Anything. But she could only spit out blood. She looked up her vision blurring. Jason ran toward her and took out his sword. He raised the blade over Artemis.

She finally managed a word,"No!"

The half bloods appeared on the dungeon floor once again covered in sweat. Thalia coughed and gasped for air sitting up. Annabeth ran to her. She hugged Thalia tightly as she cried into her shoulder.

Thank didn't hug back. She couldn't. She stared into the cell of the goddess who now writhed in pain and called her traitor.

 **~o0o~**

 **Maybe not the best chapter. A shame it's out so late. But with school and other things coming up it becomes more difficult to get over writer's block and write something. I deleted this chapter twice because it didn't flow the same and yadda yadda. I'll try updating more quickly.**

 **~LionCub 101**


	13. Chapter XIII

Hazel was jolted out of her sleep when she heard Hera's screams. She didn't complain, she had been having another nightmare and she was glad to have an excuse to not stay in Nico's bedroom. She wasn't proud in admitting this, even if it was to herself, but she knew that if she stayed with Nico she'd fall asleep again. And she did not want to go to sleep again.

The few gods that were present helped place Hera in a new cell. She screeched in terror, twisting in every inhuman way so she could get her chance to scamper away.

Eventually, they managed to get her in.

Panting, they slumped against the wall watching Hera cry in horror and scratch at the walls. She was desperate to be free. She turned into many different animals and tried biting through the bars.

As she did this the other gods howled like animals, except for Hermes. Hermes laughed as if he were hyena. He giggled happily, clapping his hands together and poking fun at Hera.

"A pea-chick in a gilded cage-

A pea-chick on a bough-

In a frosty winter one might doubt

Which bird is luckier now.

But let the trees burst out in leaf,

And nests be on the bough,

Which pea-chick is the luckier bird,

Who could doubt it now?"

He giggled again, but quickly he gave in to a dark chuckle. His voice held a threatening tone to it but he kept smiling as if he were telling a joke. He rumbled,"The broken voices of the fallen keys found in the broken cells of fallen queens. Dreamers dream a dreamless dream. With moon and fire there is no death. Ah ah! 'Theeny. 'Theeny. So small and teeny. War has got you sad and screamy."

Athena stopped mid-howl and gave a small giggle, nodding. She turned in the direction of Hermes voice and smiled brightly,"Broken tokens and a porcelain ocean."

Hermes gasped and scampered away to the back wall hyperventilating. She let out a cruel laugh in response. She continued doing so until her eyes landed on Percy.

She pointed at him, her eyes widening and her lip trembling. She reached shakily out to him through the bars. The other gods stopped their panic and even Hera stared on in abeyance. Athena gasped for breath her eyes replete with a sense of terror that unnerved Percy,

"Do you see what I see?

Black, blue, and green.

It's a strange thing, the sea,

How sometimes it's happy or sometimes it's mean.

But what is the greatest mystery

Is what is the unseen.

Do you see what I see?

Black, blue, and green.

It's a strange thing, the sea,

How sometimes it's happy and sometimes it's..."

Percy stared at Annabeth. He looked around at the other gods who backed away from the half blood as if he were something dangerous.

"Percy, what is she talking about?" Annabeth asked. She placed her hand on his shoulder.

Then they heard screams. Two of the goddesses screeched out in terror.

Hazel turned her attention to Persephone who had begun to scream in terror. She ran to a corner of her cell and cowered from something. The rest payed attention to Hera who did the same.

Finally, a third voice joined the chorus.

Initially, everyone had turned to look at Percy, but he had his eyes focused on Athena. The goddess had begun pulling at her hair, mumbling under her breath,"Broken ones..broken ones. The key. It shall set us free...but where? The dark? In fire? Glitter or my father?"

"Percy!" A voice rang out.

Poseidon was entering the dungeon holding a blonde woman in his arms. She screamed in terror and lashed out on him trying to set herself free.

"Percy!" He cried out again, straining against the woman's strength.

She turned to face Percy and the boy stopped breathing.

Amphitrite glared at him with a sense of hatred Percy had never seen before.

He looked her directly in the eye.

The world seemed to stop.

His knees buckled and he felt himself plummet to the ground. There was a muffled cry that had the same number of syllables as his name.

His vision blurred.

Something yellow loomed over him and everything went black.


	14. Chapter XIV

"So, do we go with Hera?" Jason asked.

The group had shrunken severely what with both Percy and Nico out of commission and Will, Hazel, and Annabeth looking over them. They were now worth half the manpower they were before and they were all anxious of what could happen in Hera's mind.

After all, what could scare the queen of the gods so badly to where she wound up here?

Thalia looked into the cell. Hera rocked back and forth muttering inconsistencies under her breath. She would chuckle to herself every now and then which would give Thalia the creeps.

She tore her eyes away toward the three remaining group members.

"We need to be prepared, Persephone was queen of the Underworld and we traveled within her thoughts. Look what that brought us,"Piper reasoned.

"Actually, it was Mors that had Nico wind up unconscious," Frank rubbed his neck.

Piper sighed,"I'm sure Nico would've been fine. The thing is, he was already vulnerable. Especially with what happened in that room."

Frank nodded. Every time they left the mind of one god they would always give a brief summary to the ones who weren't present. He felt bad about what happened with Nico, but it didn't compare to _seeing_ it happen to Hazel. He shivered at the thought of seeing her being shrouded in a black mass. He remembered seeing her golden eyes quickly fading out to a dead grey. He closed his eyes shaking himself out of the memory.

Jason looked at a cell across from Hera, Amphitrite was placed in here. She kept chanting phrases like:

 **"YOU'RE ALL GONNA DIE!"**

Which weren't exactly helpful in contributing to their decision.

"Let's not forget about her. She took one look at Percy and he just dropped," he said.

Frank looked back over at Athena,"She did some hefty damage to Annabeth. Her own _mother_."

Thalia realized what Frank was getting at. She looked at Artemis who whimpered in the corner like a hurt puppy and then over at Hypnos who stared blankly at a wall with his mouth open. Finally, she examined Hermes who twiddled with his misshapen fingers. Every now and then he'd whimper and hyperventilate. When this happened he'd break one of his fingers, he'd let out a sickening cry but soon he'd fall into a pit of laughter and continue playing with his fingers.

Thalia shivered,"The only ones who didn't affect us at all were those three. I mean, Thanatos, he works for Hades and was friends with Persephone, naturally he'd affect Nico. That is, if my theory is correct, but Hermes. He doesn't really have a tie to any of us. Now that I look back at it, he was the only god who didn't address one of us independently."

Piper nodded in agreement,"Hypnos talked with Annie and Nico. They were already affected like he was and he seemed to recognize Nico. Just after that Nico had that scene with Thanatos."

"Persephone kept trying to capture Nico and Hazel, two half bloods that happen to be illegitimate children of her husband. From what Hazel and Nico tell me, their relationship is pretty stable. The entire time we were with her she never even _acknowledged_ the rest of us," Jason added.

"Minerva was Annabeth's _mother_ , naturally, the state she was in would affect _anyone_ negatively. The thing is, Minerva _attacked_ her. The animals in her mind were more intent on killing _Annabeth_ than anyone of us," Frank continued.

Piper nodded toward Artemis,"As for Artemis. She _did_ affect one of us. She affected _you_ , Thalia. You've been more observant since we've come back. Almost paranoid. Maybe you weren't affected the same way Annabeth was but she definitely did something to your sense of awareness," Piper reasoned.

Jason looked back at Hermes,"So what I'm hearing is only Hermes and Hera haven't hurt us."

"That's where you're wrong. Hermes traumatized Hazel. While we were taking Will to Nico she told us about a dream she had. Because of Hermes, Hazel developed a fear of snakes. Maybe he didn't single us out like the other gods, but he definitely took his toll on one of us," Frank countered.

Piper held up her hands in a calming matter,"The point is. I think it's best that we wait for the others to recover. If the gods really are targeting certain people then I'm afraid of what Hera can do to Thalia and Jason. _Their_ father is _her_ husband."

Frank rubbed his neck, nodding in agreement,"Piper's got a point. This all started with Hera, her mind may be in an even worse state than any of the ones we've been inside of. And if she targets you two, who knows how you can end up."

"So we put it off for now?" Jason asked.

Thalia nodded. As they left the dungeon, she could feel a weight being lifted off her chest. Whatever was awaiting them in Hera's fractured mind wasn't going to get her just yet.

 **~o0o~**

Annabeth hovered over Percy as Will checked on him. Every now and then Will would furrow his eyebrows. This worried Annabeth. Will only ever did that if something was wrong. In the end, he straightened himself out and nodded to her.

"He'll be alright. He needs some rest. I'll come back in an hour to help hydrate him."

"When will he wake up?" She asked nervously.

"I suggest you keep your mind occupied. Nico told me once that there's a library here. Maybe you and I can figure something out with a book."

Annabeth narrowed her at eyes Will. He was dodging her question, Will didn't know when he'd wake up. It'd be a miracle if he knew when _Nico_ would wake up. She sighed. She looked helplessly at Percy. What she wouldn't give to be in his position instead.

She shook her head.

She _wasn't_ in his position. She _was_ in a position to _help_ him however. She nodded at Will. Maybe there was something in Hades' library that could help them cure the gods _and_ her friends.

 **~o~**

Three hours had passed. Everyone had joined the two demigods in reading the numerous texts Hades held in his library.

Annabeth sighed as she put back a book titled **Dante's Inferno.**

She picked up another book next to it and began reading.

 **Pseudomonarchia Daemonum.**

She sighed opening the book. Halfway through her reading the lights went out. She sighed.

"Hades, I don't think you paid your electric bill." No one answered her.

"Hades?"

She placed her hands out in front of her. There was the table. And there was the book.

She stood up feeling her way around.

"Piper? Hazel?" She called out. No answer. She stubbed her toe on something and held back a cry. Instead she strained herself to call out for Thalia.

Again. No reply.

She continued feeling her way around. Bookshelf, chair, table, chair, chair, chair, bookshelf. Where were the lights?

She tripped on something and fell to the floor. Her fall echoed throughout the room. As she picked herself up her hand touched something cold and hard.

She picked it up, it felt familiar. Almost like a...

She flicked something with her thumb and a small flame flickered to life. It was a lighter.

She stood up using the lighter to make her way around. She saw that no one was in the library except for her. She began to think that maybe it was a sick joke, until she realized that the library was falling apart. If it _were_ a joke there was too much detail to put into in such a short amount of time.

Books littered the floor along with red stains she hoped was the cherry Koolaid Deimos had been drinking. The furniture was decrepit. It was falling apart and everything was covered in dust and spiderwebs.

Spiderwebs.

She took a deep breath to calm down. That's when she realized she had been _touching_ those spiderwebs. She wriggled her fingers and could feel the sticky strings dangling from them.

Her vision blurred and she opened her mouth to let out a cry but nothing came out. She dropped to the ground wiping her hand on the rug.

Feeling queasy, she began making her way to the exit in a hurry . She found it quite easily. As she pulled on the knobs and pushed on the door she came to the conclusion it was locked.

Then she heard a hiss.

Her heart stopped and her blood dropped to her feet.

She turned around holding the lighter out in front of her. The flapping of wings echoed in the room and her breath hitched.

There was a low rumble coming from the darkness and she felt herself start to melt.

She made herself as small as possible against the door as the rumble got closer.

It stopped when she heard a croaky voice taunt her from the shadows.

 **Who do you think I am, Annabeth Chase?** ** _Arachne_** **? That silly creature does not match** ** _me_** **in fear** ** _or_** **terror. But perhaps she has been of use to me. Let's see just how deep you are in all of this. Shall we?**

Annabeth stared into the dark trying to catch a glimpse of the person talking when she felt something crawl up her leg. She looked down and let out a cry.

Spiders, _hundreds of them_ , crawled out of the darkness toward her. She stood up crying out in fear batting at the spiders trying to get them off.

They continued crawling up her body and she closed her mouth to avoid swallowing any. She tripped on a book and fell over into the mass below her. They continued to group around her and on top of her. She whimpered and let out muffled cries as she was ambushed by the little monsters.

She could hear the rumble. She realized whatever was talking was laughing at her, **Alas you have become a former shell of yourself, daughter of Athena. You will do quite nicely as part of my collection, however, you are still** ** _mortal_** **. You cannot be apart of my requisites in order to begin my reign. That goddess has done nicely so far. If only she weren't gravid. That useless vermin she carries poses as an obstacle. Nonetheless, we'll work around that. Won't we, Annabeth?**

Annabeth heard the rumble once more and closed her eyes as the spiders cocooned her.

 **~o0o~**

"Annabeth! Annabeth! It's me, Thalia! Please!" Thalia held tightly onto Annabeth who kept squirming trying to get out of her grasp. Every now and then she'd let out a scream of terror and she'd hit Thalia in the nose trying to get away.

Jason had to intervene. He pulled Thalia away from the demigod who crawled back into the corner she had gotten herself into. She cried out to Percy for help. She cried out to Thalia for help. She prayed to Athena. She prayed to Dionysus. She called for Chiron. She cried for her father.

No one came to her rescue.

And as Annabeth was taken away to join her mother in her cell. Thalia cried into her brother's chest.


End file.
